New funding for municipalities to attract and retain newcomers

Does your community need help to attract or support newcomers? Funding is now available through the Government of Alberta’s new Community Capacity for Newcomer Integration grant. Municipal governments and other organizations can access up to $300,000 in project funding through two grant streams:

• The Small Centre/Rural Capacity stream supports communities to build their skill set, competencies, and readiness to attract, welcome, and retain newcomers to successfully contribute to the social and economic fabric of the community. Small centres and rural areas are defined as all territory lying outside of Calgary and Edmonton census metropolitan areas.
• The COVID-19 Response Stream is designed to enhance the capacity of organizations to address the impact of COVID-19 on newcomers and newcomer service-providing organizations.

Applicants may partner with other organizations and must have at least two years of experience related to the activities in their proposal. Program guidelines and application details are available on the Government of Alberta’s website.

A first applicants’ conference call will be held on November 25, 2020 and a second call on January 13, 2021. Applications will be processed in the order received, so organizations are encouraged to apply early. The final deadline to apply is January 31, 2021; however, the application process will close early if all funds are awarded prior to that date.

AUMA wishes to remind members that our Welcoming and Inclusive Communities initiative is available to support municipalities to advance the inclusion and integration of newcomers. Examples include our Guide to Municipal Immigration Action Planning as well as funding support for education and training. wic [at] auma.ca (Contact us) to learn more about how we can assist you.